And for a while, our villain is content. Flames dance in his eyes as he looks at the building below, and though the helicopter’s gyrating blades make them impossible to hear, he can still imagine the screams from below, the 911 calls, the unanswered prayers to charlatan gods, and they bring that evil grin to his face that he perfected in the mirror so many years ago.

ZERO pilots the helicopter home before the firetrucks arrive, and as the decaying city of Last Kale passes underneath, Mortimer tries to understand the sense of euphoria that has taken over his body. He is a genius, so it doesn’t take him long.

Ever since he attempted to catch Santa Claus by way of a bear trap–the event that drove his father away–Mortimer has planned every crime he has ever committed. In his mind, one can only benefit from planning. Anyone guilty of a crime not described as premeditated is clearly not a professional.

So why on earth had he enjoyed blowing up the precinct without considering the consequences, without finding a scapegoat, without any great goal in mind? The spontaneity of it all sends chills through his body. Perhaps this is the cure for his boredom. For the first time in his life, Mortimer Hex considers letting himself loose.

This is part 19 of Vile, a novel in progress? Wanna see the beginning?